"Entrepreneurs starting their companies from 2009 to 2011 had nearly a 51 percent chance that their firms would still be in business five years later—almost 3 percent higher than the survival average for the previous decade and a half. The only other stretch during that period when survival rates hit 50 percent was in 2002 and 2003, right after the tech crash. So it would seem that right after a market downturn is a good time for entrepreneurs to start new ventures."